TONOPAH, Nev. - A misdemeanor criminal charge may be filed against the driver of a tour bus that crashed near Tonopah, injuring dozens of British tourists, prosecutors say.
The Esmeralda County district attorney is considering whether to charge the 54-year-old driver with a single careless driving charge, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office said Wednesday.
The Nevada Highway Patrol said investigators recommended the district attorney charge him with failure to operate a motor vehicle with due care.
Sgt. Steve Cabrales said there were no mechanical problems with the bus. He told the Reno Gazette-Journal that the only thing they could determine was that the driver ''apparently was operating the bus in an unsafe manner.''
The bus swerved back and forth before it flipped on its side on U.S. Highway 6 about 30 miles north of Tonopah on Sept. 7
All 41 people on board were injured, 15 of them seriously.
Cabrales said all of the victims have since returned to Britian.
The driver, Lotfali Rankouh of San Diego, has had no comment on the crash.
The bus, operated by California Sun Line, was heading from Las Vegas to Mammoth Lakes, Calif., when the rollover occurred.
One passenger, John Brown of Scotland, said the bus went off the road, zigged and zagged ''like a Walt Disney ride'' and flipped on its side.
The patrol earlier determined no drugs or alcohol were involved and speed was not believed to be a factor.
